Shrinking Business
by MsDevin92
Summary: Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. How did Peasley end up shrunken and swallowed by Petey Pirahna? Here's my theory...


Shrinking Business

Another Mario behind-the-scenes fic! This one's on how our favorite little shiny-haired princeling got shrunken down and swallowed by Petey...

Have enjoyment, fink-rats!

* * *

Peasley sighed. 

"This…is harder than I thought it would be," he admitted reluctantly to himself. He wiped some sweat off of his brow- it was _scorching _out today, even with the occasional breeze- and ran one hand worriedly through his golden hair.

The Prince was currently scouring the Beanbean Kingdom for the four pieces of the Beanstar; the ancient wish-granting artifact of his homeland had been shattered and scattered across the land.

When the incident had first occurred, during a counsel with his mother and her advisor, Lady Lima, they had realized that this could be a good direction for things to go. Few had been able to awaken the Beanstar even when it was whole- nothing would really be lost, and they could always assemble it again in times of danger- and, with the pieces lost, it would be near impossible for villainous fiends like Cackletta to use it for their own dark purposes.

But when Cackletta- or, rather, the newly-dubbed _Bowletta_- had taken Princess Peach hostage, everything changed.

Now the only way to ensure the Princess's safety was to recollect the Beanstar pieces and deliver them to the witch in exchange. As much as Peasley balked at the idea of the all-powerful Beanstar in the hands of a monster like Bowletta, it was even worse fathoming what could (and probably would) become of the captive damsel if the witch lost her patience.

He had to collect the Beanstar pieces- an innocent's life was at stake!

Speaking of stakes…

Peasley reddened slightly, wondering what people would think if they'd learned Peasley had bet on how fast he'd find the Beanstar pieces against the Mario Brothers. He hadn't really been thinking when he'd proposed the idea, but one such as Peasley, who had lived his entire life as the sole savior of his kingdom, didn't take too kindly to the thought of forking over the heroic limelight.

That, and it added a bit of fun to the whole affair.

Chuckling softly, he urged on his carrier, swooping through the valleys and over the hilltops as he scoured the countryside.

* * *

"O Great Bowletta, I am having news for you which may be of much interest!" 

"Really? Have those foolish little plumbers collected another piece of the Beanstar for me?"

Fawful grinned maniacally as he whispered into his communicator, barely able to contain his twisted joy. "I have been founding a source of amusement! The princeling who we hate is searching for the pieces of the Beanstar which is shattered also!"

"_Really_?" Bowletta's voice perked up, and Fawful mentally rejoiced at pleasing his beloved master so.

"Yes! It is an opportunity with the quality of perfection! After all, the princeling is deserving the revenge by the ones who are us for his actions of enragement at the Hooniversity, yes?"

"Yes," Bowletta hissed hungrily, and, in the background, he heard the sound of her claws scraping across the metal of Bowser's repaired Koopa Kruiser. "Let's have a little fun with the royal brat…"

"May I be blasting the one who is Peasley with my Headgear lasers, O Great Bowletta?" Peasley was drawing closer to his hiding place; if Fawful wanted to destroy him, or at least fatally injure him, this was the time to fire.

To his surprise, however, his master replied, "No."

"I repeat with astonishment: no?" Fawful paused, then giggled, anticipating one of her usual dastardly plans. "You are having another way of more enjoyment to be dispatching of the princeling, O Great Bowletta?"

"As always. Now, you're at the shores of Northeast Beanbean, correct?"

"I say to you yes!"

"You're hiding in the rocky outcropping?"

"Again, you have correctness, O Great Bowletta."

"And Prince Peasley is flying right by you?"

Fawful began to see what she was getting at. "I have jubilation!" he squealed. "I obey, O Great Bowletta! Watch from your lair of exquisite evil and be proud of your little toady!"

"Yes- _now_!"

In a flurry of tattered red cloth and blinding green laser lights, Fawful burst from his hiding place, circling high above the approaching Prince.

"_I HAVE FURY_!"

* * *

_Crumble, rumble_. 

"What the-"

Peasley hissed sharply in pain as a sharp stone fell out of the air, grazing him across the cheek.

A shadow fell over him. He looked up and gasped.

_Rumble, rumble_.

The rocky wall above him was crumbling- falling apart. Huge boulders were raining down on him from above.

"_AAAH_!"

He steered the carrier left, then right, but the rocks were falling fast and hard, and he couldn't get away in time.

He felt a stone connect with the carrier, and he was falling, dropping clean out of the air-

Seconds before he was flattened by the landslide, he saw a grinning figure flitting with ease between the rocks, and heard an all-too-familiar laugh…

Then everything went black.

* * *

"_Eeeyah ha ha_! Enjoy your dirt nap, little princeling!" 

"_The rocks and the boulders had the tumbling down_," Fawful sang merrily, "_tumbling down, tumbling down, the rocks and the boulders had the tumbling down, and then the princeling was_ _**smashed**_! _Rurururu_!"

Peasley was smashed. Crushed. Buried under a huge mound of boulders. There was no way he could've survived!

Fawful had joy _and_ fury!

Just then, there was a moan.

Fawful reflexively tensed into a fighting stance, the mouth-like protrusion atop his Headgear unfurling in preparation for battle.

A small pebble bounced to the side, and then something emerged from the rubble.

"I- have…confusion. What is this being?"

Fawful knelt down and poked at the small green…thing, squinting despite his glasses.

"Magnifier," he murmured, and a series of smaller glass lenses fell into slots before him, increasing the size of his specimen.

"Well? What is it, Fawful?"

"I have amazement…but I am thinking that this thing of tinyness is being the princeling!"

It was- a miniature Prince Peasley. Apparently, the rocks had somehow compressed him instead of crushing him, reducing him to the size of an ant.

"_What_? How in the- It _is_ the princeling!"

There was a pause. Fawful blanched as he heard a deep, rumbling noise on the other end of the communicator, but then he realized that his master was laughing.

"Oh, this is too much! This is- _eeyah ha ha_- this is hilarious! _Ha_!"

Fawful plucked the shrunken prince from the ground and swung him experimentally to and fro by his cape.

"_Rururu_," he giggled, making a face. "_You have patheticness, you are small and tiny, you_-"

"Fawful."

"Yes, O Great Bowletta?"

"You deserve a reward for all your deliciously bad behavior…"

Fawful gasped happily, catching on. "O Great Bowletta, you are without any doubting, with absoluteness and much certainty, one of much greatness!"

"I know."

"_Rurururu_! The princeling will soon be cursing the fortune which is his and has quickly turned sour like old milk of grossness! I have fury!"

"Good. Contact me when you're through with your little toy."

_Click_. The other end of the line went silent.

Fawful cackled wickedly and took off with his miniature prisoner.

Oh, the joys of being evil!

* * *

"Let us have the seeing…" 

Fawful sat on a cliff overlooking the deep blue surf, swinging his legs thoughtfully. He looked at Peasley, helpless in his grasp, and felt a huge smile tugging at his lips as he imagined all the wonderfully horrible things he could do.

Perhaps he could use Peasley as a test subject for his experiments (Bowletta had ordered him to stop experimenting on himself when he'd sprouted a pair of small yellow wings)! He'd have so much fun, twisting and changing his oh-so-beautiful little face!

Perhaps he could throw Peasley into the ocean! There were plenty of unpleasant creatures on the ocean floor that would enjoy the bite-sized little royal.

"Or perhapsing," he said aloud, standing up and dropping Peasley to the ground, "I could simply have stepping upon you and squash you like a bug who is small and squashable! _Rurururu_!"

So saying, he lifted a foot.

"Be saying good-bye, fink-rat!"

And that's when he heard it: a low, _hungry_ growl.

Fawful froze, his fists clenched at his sides, one foot in the air, and, trying not to think what he would see when he did, turned his head.

Towering over him was a tall Piranha Plant- an odd one, standing on short, stubby legs instead of rooted into the ground like most. It had its long neck extended towards him and was making sniffling noises, probably deciding if the insane little Bean was good to eat.

He took the drool coating its sharp teeth as a yes.

"You are thinking you will have the eating of the one who is me, yes? I say to you…_NO_!"

Fawful whirled around completely to face the creature, hearing the promising whir of his Headgear charging up. "Snack on my wrath, fink-"

Nothing happened.

Fawful's stomach twisted as he realized: his Headgear was out of ammo.

The strange Piranha Plant paused, sniffed again, and then opened its mouth as wide as it could go- just wide enough to swallow him whole!

Fawful reeled backwards, and then it hit him.

"I have inspiration!"

In a flash, he snatched the prince off the ground and cocked his arm back. "Snack on _this_, fink-rat!"

He tossed Peasley right into the monster's open mouth.

Although, much to his disappointment, it simply gulped him down instead of skewering with its sharp teeth, the sudden movement distracted it, giving Fawful just enough time to activate his rockets and fly away.

He made for the coordinates of the Koopa Kruiser to report his progress to Bowletta, wondering if the monster would have a stomachache soon.


End file.
